[PRIMER]Join in the Crimson Dance: Olivia EDH

Commander / EDH Aggro BR (Rakdos) Haste Reanimator Vampires

Mortiganil

Lands (36)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Blightstep Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Drownyard Temple
• 1x Foreboding Ruins
• 1x Geier Reach Sanitarium
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Haunted Ridge
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 4x Mountain
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Shadowblood Ridge
• 1x Shizo, Death's Storehouse
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 1x Sulfurous Mire
• 1x Sulfurous Springs
• 5x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Peak
• 1x Temple of Malice
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Valakut Stoneforge  ^Flip
• 1x Voldaren Estate

Removal (4)

• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Flayer of the Hatebound
• 1x Ritual of Soot
• 1x Vampires' Vengeance

Goodstuff (2)

• 1x Anger
• 1x Moraug, Fury of Akoum

Vampires (25)

• 1x Anje Falkenrath
• 1x Anje, Maid of Dishonor
• 1x Bloodghast
• 1x Bloodline Keeper  ^Flip
• 1x Bloodthirsty Adversary
• 1x Captivating Vampire
• 1x Champion of Dusk
• 1x Cordial Vampire
• 1x Crossway Troublemakers
• 1x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
• 1x Falkenrath Aristocrat
• 1x Falkenrath Forebear
• 1x Florian, Voldaren Scion
• 1x Gluttonous Guest
• 1x Malakir Bloodwitch
• 1x Markov Enforcer
• 1x Midnight Arsonist
• 1x Olivia's Attendants
• 1x Patron of the Vein
• 1x Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
• 1x Stromkirk Captain
• 1x Stromkirk Condemned
• 1x Timothar, Baron of Bats
• 1x Vampire Nocturnus
• 1x Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Draw (6)

• 1x Cathartic Reunion
• 1x Deadly Dispute
• 1x Dragon Mage
• 1x Faithless Looting
• 1x Imposing Grandeur
• 1x Wheel of Misfortune

Protection (3)

• 1x Deflecting Swat
• 1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• 1x Tibalt's Trickery

Commander (1)

Manaramp (8)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Burnished Hart
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Sword of Hearth and Home
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence

Reanimation (8)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Bloodline Necromancer
• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Exhume
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Sinister Waltz
• 1x Victimize

Tutors (6)

• 1x Burning-Rune Demon
• 1x Dark Petition
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Diabolic Intent
• 1x Entomb
• 1x Gamble

Keycards (1)

• 1x Sneak Attack

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Maybeboard

Other (6)

• 1x Burnt Offering
• 1x Court of Ire
• 1x Kindred Dominance
• 1x Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip
• 1x Orbs of Warding
• 1x Thrill of Possibility

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Intro:

Welcome to my guide to Olivia, Crimson Bride Recently me and a few close friends stopped playing magic for a while, but seeing this card filled me with so much nostalgia that i HAD to build it. She does everything i want in a commander, and with the cool new Vampires that Innistrad has given us, there is so much cool stuff to pull out of the grave!

is this deck for you?

You like:

• Vampires!
• Discard and Reanimator synergies
• Strong board-presence and threats
• Haste!

you don't like:

• Slow and grinded out games
• Control
• Winning through Combo

Strategy:

This deck is built to be able to function without needing to have Olivia, fill your graveyard but be careful to not overdo it, then either reanimate or wait for Olivia to be able to bring something back. Blood tokens are really good, because they basically let Olivia reanimate from hand instead of grave, so while normally opponents can look in your grave to predict what is coming, an untapped mana at the end of their turn can suddenly be an Olivia swinging with a big threat on mine. don't be afraid to use cards for politics, sell your removal and answers to the highest bidder, and try not to archenemy yourself immediately, Olivia can be very aggressive very fast, but some games its better to sit back and relax a little while you built up.

Card Evaluation

some of the most important cards and their Usage:

Wincons

This deck usually wins through combat, but there is one star to call specific attention to:

Sneak Attack: This deck is built arounds big creatures and throwing them out for almost nothing only for them to attack and go to the graveyard for Olivia to bring them back is super good.

Threats

Flayer of the Hatebound: This little devil turns all the things you bring back into removal or burn, allthough he is'nt a vampire, he gets an honourary place besides the throne.

Moraug, Fury of Akoum: Oh boy this creates some giant swings, allthough we don't ramp enough to give more than a few triggers in a turn, an extra attack after Olivia brings him back can suddenly be enough.

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: He's big, really big, allthough his primary purpose is being put into the grave to save it from exile, playing him, or making him a little sneaky, is super fun and effective too.

Bloodthirsty Adversary: Past in Flames has always been one of my favorite cards, need i say more? ^^

MVVs

Anje Falkenrath&Anje, Maid of Dishonor: Anje might not be Olivia's best friend, but she sure does keep the grave nice and full!

Strefan, Maurer Progenitor: This partygoer sure does know how to bring along some friends, attacking with him can be a huge threat since he can suddenly drop one of our biggest buddies.

Markov Enforcer: Protection is important, and this bouncer makes sure the board stays nice and clean, except for all the blood tokens.

Patron of the Vein: This is such good removal, on such a big body that makes all your other Vampires so much bigger, oh my.

Crossway Troublemakers: Lifelink, Deathtouch, carddraw, all in one.

Florian, Voldaren Scion: This man makes sure you hit your landdrops at worst, and gives you a nice selection of cards to pick from at best, super sweet.

Strenghts and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

This deck is aggressive, sometimes catching opponents off guard without it being unfair. Play your threats right, and focus on optimizing your removal, and you should be able to be a dominant seat at any table.

Weaknesses: By not including combos this deck relies on good old smashing to get the job done, in bigger multiplayer games you will need to use politics and snide deals to not lose your momentum too often. (Be sure to use some cards like Exhume, Deflecting Swat and Wheel of Misfortune to get the right players on your side)

Conclusion:

Olivia is the best, letting you build a deck around all the cool Gothic-y themes you desire, and any game you play should create lots of fun interactions and scenarios. if you decide to build her do let me know! and together we can figure out the most interesting build for you, every deck is different and i am always open to learn from the playstyles of others!

If you liked my decklist please leave an upvote, if you have questions and/or suggestions you can always leave a comment!

Top Ranked	Achieved #79 position overall 2 years ago Achieved #70 position in Commander / EDH 2 years ago Achieved #2 position in Commander / EDH BR (Rakdos) 2 years ago
Date added	2 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	16 - 0 Mythic Rares 54 - 0 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.67
Tokens	Bat 1/1 B, Blood, Treasure, Vampire 2/2 B